Netflix changes again! Anyone get this email?

[RachaelA]

So they lose something like 500,000 members and all they do is apologize again and change nothing back? Good job!

 

[Pigeon]

Is this guy on drugs? Because that's the only explanation I can think of for ticking off already ticked off customers even more, while providing no benefit for them whatsoever.

 

[phorsenuf]

For an idea that is suppose to 'fix' something, I think they made it worse. Now's a good time for Blockbuster to work their way in.

 

[PeterPan09]

Thought it over and cancelled the entire membership. This was the second move that they've made that has ZERO benefit to the customer, and they really need to know just how boneheaded that is. There is a section of the email that allows you to connect to the blog and make comments. Over 4000 people have been there already and the comments are mostly negative.

I still have my Hulu plus for TV episodes, and I can get DVD's from Redbox or get a movie from the Bright House On Demand service.

 

[bdoyledimou]

We saw those over a month ago on streaming

See your original post made it sound like there was nothing more current than 1977 and.or soft porn.. which is a mis-leading statement if you watched Tangled a month ago..

 

[cglaura]

I cancelled my DVD part. Biggest inconvenience for me is needing two separate queues now, that don't automatically update. I liked that when something in the DVD part became available, it automatically updated on my streaming/Roku.

I really use the streaming 99.99% of the time now anyway. My mom gets the DVD only, so if there is something we really want to see, she usually would want to see it as well (she comes over for dinner/movie every Friday night).

Might give Redbox a try, but it is 15 minutes away, so would have to plan with the grocery shopping trip. 30 minutes r/t = 1 gallon of gas, which then makes Redbox a $4.50 movie rental instead!

 

[DWGal210]

I'm thoroughly confused as to the thought process behind this. Having 2 sites is cumbersome.

I really like streaming to watch past seasons; right now, I'm working my way through Monk & Mad Men. I just wish there were more options than Netflix. I agree with previous posters that now is the time for other companies to step forward.

 

[phorsenuf]

They are chewing him up and spitting him out on his blog.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thought it over and cancelled the entire membership. This was the second move that they've made that has ZERO benefit to the customer, and they really need to know just how boneheaded that is. There is a section of the email that allows you to connect to the blog and make comments. Over 4000 people have been there already and the comments are mostly negative.

I still have my Hulu plus for TV episodes, and I can get DVD's from Redbox or get a movie from the Bright House On Demand service.

The only thing that is holding me back from cancelling is that I can get anime DVDs on Netflix that I cannot buy or rent anywhere.

 

[ChrisFL]

My current streaming account is suspended until further notice.

I wish instead of talking about how super dooper awesome netflix dvds are he would have talked about the price gouging for a lacking streaming service and how they plan to fix that.

Price Gouging?? Are you serious?? Its less than $10 a month for access to over 10,000 movies and TV shows. How is that price gouging??

Everyone forgets that its the studios who are price gouging...the agreements to stream movies to netflix was costing them about $100 million will soon be costing them in the BILLIONS.

I don't feel price gouged at all.

 

[Andtototoo]

As someone who uses another video licensing system for my work, Netflix changes are neither shocking nor a huge issue. Studios are pulling out of licensing systems and/or raising the prices to astronomical levels. I'm not going to get angry with my video licensing system because they are being squeezed by the studios.

 

[DWGal210]

This is a good perspective; I hadn't thought about it that way.

I'm surprised the studios are dragging their heels so much; this is the future of media. Why aren't they on board?

As someone who uses another video licensing system for my work, Netflix changes are neither shocking nor a huge issue. Studios are pulling out of licensing systems and/or raising the prices to astronomical levels. I'm not going to get angry with my video licensing system because they are being squeezed by the studios.

 

[cornflake]

I cancelled my DVD part. Biggest inconvenience for me is needing two separate queues now, that don't automatically update. I liked that when something in the DVD part became available, it automatically updated on my streaming/Roku.

See, I'd guess that's their goal, and why they split the co. and kept the Netflix name for streaming.

Obviously, the service with the physical DVDs costs them more, and they think streaming is where it'll go - so split the services, try to force people into dropping the DVD service, now helpfully renamed and ready to be excised from the stock and sold off, and use the extra profits from having more streaming-only customers to try to convince premium channels to harm their own futures by throwing money at them.

Don't think it'll work though.

 

[PeterPan09]

As someone who uses another video licensing system for my work, Netflix changes are neither shocking nor a huge issue. Studios are pulling out of licensing systems and/or raising the prices to astronomical levels. I'm not going to get angry with my video licensing system because they are being squeezed by the studios.

But the message has to get sent somehow. I can't send a message directly to the studio with my wallet other than to cancel my subscription to Netflix. If Netflix can't pay their astronomical prices because too many people cancel, then maybe the studios will wake the heck up and realize they need to price better to get anything at all.

 

[bitohoney]

I got that email. I'm keeping my subscription to Netflix...or Qwikster or whatever it's called now. I just get the DVDs in the mail, I don't use streaming.

 

[HM]

I really had no problem with the price changes and splitting the costs, but I DO have a big problem with them making Netflix into two entities. I really liked having the Queues work together, so that when things I listed on my DVD queue became available for streaming, the automatically did and that when searching for movies to watch, I could be looking in both formats.

I am really torn about what to do at this point. ARGH.

 

[dfchelbay]

Think they need to get their sh$! together over there at Netflix...what's next...jeez!

 

[cornflake]

This is a good perspective; I hadn't thought about it that way.

I'm surprised the studios are dragging their heels so much; this is the future of media. Why aren't they on board?

Look at it from Starz' perspective. They're not dragging their heels, they're trying to protect their very business from going under.

Netflix offered them like $700million (around there someplace, iirc), to be able to stream their content. Sounds great!

Except if you're Starz. Once Netflix is streaming their content, people no longer need to subscribe to Starz the channel. If people don't subscribe to the channel, there goes their main source of revenue and a large part of what's keeping them afloat in general.

If they lose subscribers to Netflix streaming, they lose the revenue that allows them to license movies and to create programming. Hence Netflix no longer wants to pay those astronomical licensing amounts - and Netflix can try to cut deals with the studios themselves, and cut Starz' out as the middleman.

Then Starz would cease to exist - if Netflix goes around them (and says to the studios, who need the cash to make the movies, 'we paid Starz $700 mil and Showtime $700 mil to license the movies they licensed from you, how bout we just pay you $1.5 billion for the direct licenses?') they lose subscribers who now have no reason to use their services.

Starz is trying to keep themselves relevant and afloat. If the other channels went Starz' way, Netflix will have a hard time increasing streaming content or getting relevant streaming content, unless they try to make the end run anyway. Starz has an argument to make with the studios, as to why the studios shouldn't cut them out and license with Netflix directly, as long as they keep their subscribers.

 

[Muushka]

I cancelled my DVD part. Biggest inconvenience for me is needing two separate queues now, that don't automatically update. I liked that when something in the DVD part became available, it automatically updated on my streaming/Roku.

I really use the streaming 99.99% of the time now anyway. My mom gets the DVD only, so if there is something we really want to see, she usually would want to see it as well (she comes over for dinner/movie every Friday night).

Might give Redbox a try, but it is 15 minutes away, so would have to plan with the grocery shopping trip. 30 minutes r/t = 1 gallon of gas, which then makes Redbox a $4.50 movie rental instead!

That was my problem with Redbox. Picking up the movie at the grocery store was fine. But unless I was going to the grocery store the next day, the gas ends up costing quite a bit more than the movie to return it.

Price Gouging?? Are you serious?? Its less than $10 a month for access to over 10,000 movies and TV shows. How is that price gouging??

Everyone forgets that its the studios who are price gouging...the agreements to stream movies to netflix was costing them about $100 million will soon be costing them in the BILLIONS.

I don't feel price gouged at all.

We have decided to keep both DVDs and streaming. My first instinct was to cancel the DVDs and keep streaming. But Netflix has been so fair with their pricing that we will wait this out and see what happens. With the DVDs we get about 8 a month, so it more than pays for itself. And much easier than Redbox. We still use Redbox for newer movies, and if I know I am going to the store the next day.

 

[Praying Colonel]

This is a good perspective; I hadn't thought about it that way.

I'm surprised the studios are dragging their heels so much; this is the future of media. Why aren't they on board?

Leverage, among other things. They know that as customers howl (as they are doing in this thread), it places more pressure on Netflix, which means Netflix will pay more for licensing rights than they might otherwise.